The preps are in the books, and the days are counting down. You can hear the Louisville marching band warming up with “My Old Kentucky Home.” – This is the time to get focused, as you are in the right place. Winning Ponies has all of the prep replays to peruse, free selections to get you thinking about the races, and the one-of-a-kind E-Z Win Forms who out-preform themselves during the Triple Crown run. So what are you waiting for? It’s almost post time !

Keeneland

*For then remainder of the short meet. Pay close attention to repeat runners coming back on short rest, and flashy late workouts. The barns of Rusty Arnold, Ken McPeek, Tevis McCauley, Mark Casse, Wesley Ward, and Graham Motion need to be on “hot-runner” alert.

Race #8 – The (G-3) Ben Ali – 1 1/8 – 4:42 pm ET

#6 – Winning Cause (6-1) – Joe Rocco Jr. in the saddle for Todd Pletcher, and they bring a son of Giant’s Causeway to post. He returns off a prep this month, and sports two nice works before coming to Lexington. He makes the turf -poly switch (26%), and is 4/5 ITM at Keeneland.

Race #9 – The (G-3) Lexington Stakes – 1 1/16 – 5:13 pm ET

#10 – Supermonic (8-1) – Joel Rosario (15%) in the irons for Todd Pletcher (14%), and they exits off a score this month. This son of Latent Heat is 1/1 at Kee, and 1/1 over the poly. He shows good foot, and the barn scores (30%) off a last race win.

Charles Town

This race begins the $100,000 All-Stakes Pick Four.

Race #9 – The Confucius Say – 7f – 8:45 pm ET

#4 – In the Fairway (2-1) = J. Montano (27%) in the irons for Jeff Runco (20%). This son of Posse makes his second off the shelf, and sports a good deal of early foot. He is a horse-for-the-course going 13/15 ITM, and 4/5 ITM at the distance.

#8 – Wise Mac (5-2) = J.D. Acosta (23%) aboard for Murray Rojas (75%). This gelded son of Wiseman’s Ferry has blistering speed, and is 3/3 with wins over the CT oval. He is 2/2 at 7f with wins, and should be a major player.

Race #10 – The Robert B. Milton – 7f – 9:15 pm ET

#2 – Elevated (9-2) = Sheldon Russell (19%) in the saddle for Phil Schoenthal. Third start of the year for this son of Jump Start, and he cuts back from 1 1/8 to 7 panels.

#3 – Rise Up (2-1) = Leandro Goncalves in the driver’s seat for Thom Amoss (33%). This speedy son of Rockport Harbor cuts back from a 1 1/8, and drops way down in class from the Louisiana Derby. Amoss loves this rider, and feels he is an underrated talent. He is great on speed, and going from a route to a sprint yields (36%) winners.

Race #11 – The $200,000 Sugar Maple – 7f – 9:45 pm ET

#10 – Saturday n The Park (6-1) = Kent Desormeaux in the saddle for Tevis McCauley. They bring a speedy filly by Any Given Saturday to post. She will shoot from the outside post under the guidance of very talented rider. Add in that last work bullet and she looks attractive.

#9 – Saturday Surprise (10-1) = Travis Dunkleburger (26%) in the irons for Jeff Runco (20%). She is 11/15 ITM over the oval and is 4/5 ITM at the distance. She looks to follow close to the speed and jump at the right time.

#5 – More than a Cruise (8-1) = Julian Pimentel in the driver’s seat for Lawrence Murray. This daughter of More than Ready is making a second off the shelf (22%), and is 4/4 ITM at the distance.

#2 – My Pal Chrisy (2-1) = Joel Rosario in town for Marty Wolfson, and this daughter of Alex’s Pal is dropping in from graded company. The speed figures are solid, and the class can’t be overlooked.

Race #12 – The (G-2) Classic – 1 1/8 – 10:30 pm ET

#3 – Game On Dude (4-5) = Mike Smith in town for Bob Baffert, and this race is no push over. There will be a hot pace, and he is 2/2 ITM over the oval. That was an impressive win in the SAH, and he worked a bullet to keep him ready.

#5 – Long River (6-1) = Irad Ortiz in the saddle for Kiaran McLaughlin, and this son of A.P. Indy is making his second start in 2014. With the hot pace, you can bet that Ortiz will get him motoring late in the lane.

Ticket cost = 2X2X4X2 = $32 for a $1 ticket, or $16 for a 50-cent version.

Think of this as an appetizer, and the E-Z Win Forms as the four course dinner. Winning Ponies has rewarded members with over $2,432,986 in exotic payouts. You can expect the tier levels to produce some blockbuster selections that are sure to light up the tote board. Be sure to check back daily as we’ll examine who is doing well, and who may be that hidden nugget of gold on Derby Day ! – Kentucky Derby 140 is only a couple of weeks away, and we’ll be here every step of the way. – Best of luck from your friends at Winning Ponies.